Destroy the Company
by OverChasm
Summary: Luffy and his crew are captured! Now, stuck at a slave camp to serve a man who controls a company that creates supplies meant for just pirates, do they have hope of freedom? CHAPTER 18!
1. Double Threat

**Destroy the Company**

I don't own One Piece. Please review.

It was a calm day on the Going Merry. The ship's navigator had already chosen a destination in the East Blue and they are sailing towards that land right at this moment. The last time she checked the map there's just a wide expanse of blue water between the ship and that area. So now, while the straw hat pirates were waiting to get there, they were doing their usual leisure activities.

Most of them were inside the ship, but as the navigator, Nami had to observe the sky so if she sees a storm, she can quickly navigate around it and keep the morale in fine condition. But there were only a few clouds that day, and she just observed the beauty of the ocean, when she heard footsteps coming from behind her. The cook must have made a snack for her.

"Hey Nami!". Scratch that. It was the seventeen-year old captain.

"I'm bored" he said. Nami replied, "Well, too bad. We're not reaching our target for about another week". "I know, but when are we going to reach some kind of land?" the captain asked. "Okay," the navigator answered as she pulled out a map. "Now you see, we are right here, and between us and where we're headed, there's no single type of island or such. No land at all".

"What! None at all!" Luffy said back. "Then what about pirates? Are we going to fight any pirates before we get there?". Nami was getting stressed, as she usually does while explaining something to Luffy. "How should I know?". Luffy sat back and held up his hand. "I bet we'll fight two pirates a day. That's let's see...one...two..." and he counted using his fingers, which is unfortunate that he has only ten of them. Still looking at the map, Nami replied, "Don't get your hopes up, Luffy". The seventeen -year old captain stopped counting momentarily and "But there's a pirate ship right there-"

BOOM!

Only a second after that sound, the triangular mast of the Going Merry toppled over to the side. Zoro and Usopp immediately came out of the cabin while Sanji came out of the kitchen with gravy spilled all over his shirt. Nami yelled, "We're under attack! Usopp get to the cannon and shoot back!". Sadly, the sharpshooter yelled back, "But it's too far away! Our cannon probably can't shoot that far! I don't know how that ship can shoot us from over there!"

Another cannonball was shot, hitting the stern side this time. Finally, Luffy got up and said, "I'll handle it then!" He ran to the direction where the ship was shooting, then stretched his arms and legs out, grabbing the stump of the two masts. The next cannonball shot was caught by Luffy, who grinned. He was reeled back by the impact, ready to launch it back with the same distance as it had traveled right then.

Well, he was going to launch it before another cannonball was shot from behind him and the impact caused both cannonballs to explode. Luffy was down. That wasn't good. As well as the second ship where the cannonball came from behind Luffy. Things were bad.

They were closing in around the Going Merry as well. They would be surrounded soon. Usopp thought about shooting the first ship, but in case the two pirate ships were working together, he just stood with his knees shaking.

When the first ship came up to where Nami, Zoro, Sanji, and Usopp were, a big, muscular man in uniform was standing right against the rim, close enough to talk.

"Is this the entire crew?" the man asked in a deep voice, although he didn't wait for an answer. "All right. ATTENTION!" he roared. "You are hereby under arrest for trespassing into the private territory of Grim Kraken of Kraken Corpse!"

Zoro was confused. "Arrest? Wait, are these guys pirates?". "I'm afraid so," said Sanji. "I heard some time ago of this really famed pirate named Grim Kraken. They say he was the closest to ever finding One Piece. That's all I know". Then Nami spoke up. "There's more" That's when Sanji realized that Nami was scared. "Kraken had disappeared in the Grand LIne, but a couple years later, the Navy found a package of supplies meant for pirates, labeled "Kraken Corpse", and they realized that he had established a company that made supplies meant for just pirates. And then there were rumors that Kraken had captured a hoard of people to be his slaves that operate his company, creating raw materials for tools to be made. And there was even a drop in the population of a certain sea after Kraken's disappearance".

"Wait!" Usopp interrupted. "So that means we're going to be held as this Kraken guy's slaves!"

"That's right" the man interrupted. "Oh, and I forgot to introduce myself. The name is Hugo, captain of Kraken's Brass Security pirates! And on the ship behind you are his Iron Security pirates! Now enough chitchat, my order is to capture any intruders and bring them to Master Kraken. So-"

"Not a chance!" Zoro interrupted as he drew a sword and slashed it at Hugo, who quickly drew out a blade himself, a spade about only two feet long and eight inches wide. He parried Zoro's sword with this and for a moment, they just stood there, both still. Then Zoro screamed out in pain and dropped to the floor.

"How did you do that!" Nami yelled at Hugo.

"I'd rather not answer that. Let me just say you should obey me now." Then he pulled out a gun and shot the three pirates still standing. The gun shot out a capsule that trapped them in a net, and Hugo took the Going Merry to his master's secret headquarters, not found on any map.


	2. The Argument That Morning

**Chapter 2: The Argument That Morning**

Luffy woke up. _Where am I?_ he thought. _The last thing I remember is I was deflecting a cannonball and there was an explosion on my back. How did I get knocked out? And why can't I move? _It was true. He could squirm a little, but he couldn't really move. Then he saw the man.

Luffy was on the floor of a cabin, and a man with a gray uniform was standing right outside the entrance, facing the ocean with his back to Luffy. "Rise and shine" he greeted, still with his back to Luffy.

"Who are you?" Luffy asked.

The man responded, "I am Vard, the captain of Grim Kraken's Iron Security pirates".

"Grim Kraken?"

"Oh right," Vard replied as he turned around, "you slept through the intro's".

Luffy asked another question. "How did I pass out anyway?"

Vard answered, "Remember that cannonball I shot from behind you? It contained knock-out gas."

"Wait!" Luffy said back angrily, "So you're the one who shot me?"

"Then again, we can have the introductions later" then Vard pulled out a small remote control from his uniform and pressed a button.

Luffy was about to ask "What's that?" when he passed out again.

Nobody was on the Going Merry. All its occupants were now on Hugo's ship.

Sanji, Nami, and Usopp were tied up in a cellar, as well as Zoro, who was still unconscious and trapped in some sort of straitjacket. Nobody talked.

Usopp, being the scaredy cat that he is, would be surprised if he could talk at all. Then he thought back to his argument with Zoro right before they got captured, less than an hour before.

_"Just shut up about all your "The Great Usopp" talk! I'm sick of it! You're just a wimp, and you know it!"_

_The way Zoro said it made Usopp angry. _

_"Hey, I've helped out plenty of times! I'm no wimp!"_

_Luffy, Sanji, and Nami, of course, weren't there._

_"Haven't you ever thought how easy you got it? You always get the sissy part!"_

_"I've fought many times before!"_

_"You use a frickin' slingshot! You're a weakling!"_

_"Shut up! I'm a brave warrior of the sea!"_

_That was when the cannonball struck._

What would a brave warrior of the sea do right now? He should cut the ropes, wait until the guard comes, ambush him, and escape.

Unfortunately, none of them had a knife (A guard took Zoro's swords), the ropes were made of some wire that they couldn't break out of, even if they had the strength to break normal rope, and there was still the other Security ship...maybe-

The door slammed open. "All right, we're here! Now let's take them to Master Kraken!"


	3. Separated

**Chapter 3: Separated**

Nami and Usopp were scared. It was hard to tell who was more afraid. Usopp was a coward, of course, but Nami knew more about Kraken, more information to be scared of. Such as the story she heard of when he was surrounded by five Navy ships and all of them were defeated by just his first mate, and if his first mate -whoever he was- could do all that, what was the captain himself capable of doing?

Two pirates of Hugo's crew had carried Nami and Usopp, still tied up, and tossed them onto the island on hard, dirt, ground. Then they went back to the ship, probably to get Sanji and Zoro.

Nami and Usopp were face-down on the dirt, but they could hear yelps of pain from the ship. _Of course_, Nami thought. _Only our arms and hands are tied up. Sanji must be beating them up with his feet like he always does. _Then she heard Hugo's voice going, "What is going on here!". Nami hoped she would hear either the beating of shoes against someone's face, or the sound of Hugo crying in pain. What she really heard was a yelp of pain from the wrong person.

Afterwards, Hugo and another pirate walked up to Nami and Usopp without Sanji nor Zoro. Or Luffy, for that matter. Where did the captain go, anyway? That didn't matter now. Hugo's pirate yanked on the ropes that tied up Nami and Usopp, making a sort of leash from the extra length. He grabbed the ropes, forced them to stand up, then, unsheathing a sword, told them to walk forward. Neither Nami nor Usopp knew exactly where they were walking to, but Hugo was following, offering no chance of escape. And they did know that they were going to see the powerful fiend, Grim Kraken.

Zoro woke up eventually. He looked around, which wasn't easy for some reason. He was in a cabin. To his left, he saw Sanji, looking unconscious. To his right, he saw Luffy in the same condition. They were both trapped in some kind of...thing that looked sort of like a coccoon, although Sanji's covered only his body from the chest down, while Luffy had only his face uncovered. After trying to move his arms, Zoro guessed that he was trapped in one as well.

"You're awake" said Vard.

Zoro immediately looked towards him as Vard came into the room.

"Who're you?" Zoro asked with suspicion.

"Hugo told you about Master Kraken, right? Then he probably told you that there are the Brass and Iron Security pirates. I'm the captain of the Iron pirates, while Hugo's the captain of the Brass pirates. Our job is to patrol the water around Master Kraken's HQ and attack intruders, as well as bring him candidates for his group of slaves."

Zoro then noticed something "Wait! Where are Nami and Usopp!"

"They left with Hugo. The two of us decided that you and these other two lackeys are too special to go with them, so you three are going later."

Next to Zoro, Luffy moaned, indicating that he's awake.

"Luffy?" Zoro asked.

"Zoro?"

"Oh, I just remembered," Vard interrupted. "This kid still hasn't gone through the intro. Master Kraken's too busy to bother with storytelling. So I need you to be quiet." As he said the last part, he pulled out a remote and -

"_GAGH!"_

"Zoro!"

"Man, I love these shock-built straitjackets. Now then," Vard said as he turned some dial on the remote. "I'll activate the shock, just low enough to keep you quiet."

Luffy was about to say something before the straitjacket was turned on and his muscles strained him from moving his mouth.

_Just what did Vard mean by "too special"?_


	4. Meeting Grim Kraken

**Chapter 4: Meeting Grim Kraken**

Chapter 4 is here! I'm sorry, but I can't make another chapter for a week because I am going somewhere.

I don't own One Piece. Please review.

_Grim Kraken's island HQ was mostly wilderness. There was a forest with pathways through it, and a large, rocky hill was located in the center of the island. On the eastern shore, there was the slave camp, consisting of several warehouses where all the company's imports are made, cabins where the slaves slept, an office where the clerk was, prison cells where slaves were held to be punished, and a dining building where both the slaves and the overseers who acted as guards were fed. Food came from a garden and a barn. The whole camp is surrounded by an electric fence, and the only way to cross it was to get permission from the clerk, unless you were an overseer or an important official. There was also a dock where ships delivered products created by the slaves, as well as brought back money made from selling them. Actually, it was a large dock where every ship except Kraken's personal ship docked._

Usopp and Nami walked through the slave camp. _It doesn't look all that bad_, Usopp thought. The buildings were either log cabins or made of brick. The slaves were dirty and much of them wore rags, but at least they didn't look half dead as he was worried of. Not that there were much slaves outside. As one man entered a building, a deluge of sound poured out of the building when he opened the door, then it was quiet again after the door closed behind him. So obviously, told Usopp that most of the workers were inside the buildings, doing whatever hard labor their merciless master forced them to do.

They passed through the gate in the electric fence, towards the hill, where Grim Kraken probably was. It was a long hike from the dock to the actual building that served as Kraken's office building. As they walked, there were no other people, except for some guards dressed differently from Hugo's pirate.

Eventually, they got there. Two guards guarded the front door on each side. It was hard to believe they were standing in front of a plain concrete building right next to a cliff wall, yet they were about to face a menacing fiend. Nami, Usopp, Hugo, and the other pirate walked through the front door, into what looked like a waiting room. While Nami and Usopp stood, Hugo walked up to an intercom next to the door and pressed a button. Then he spoke into a speaker and opened the door. They all walked through.

Grim Kraken. As they all walked through the front door, he sat in behind his desk with his hands folded. He had short black hair with a few strands dangling in front of his green eyes. On his face, there was a deep frown, and his eyebrows met together in a leer. To be honest, his expression was best described as "stern", rather than the expected "menacing". There was another man, who leaned against the wall behind Kraken in a black uniform.

Hugo spoke, "Master Kraken, I have found these intruders trespassing into this area. There were also three others with them who are currently held captive by Vard."

Then Kraken asked, "Are these two pirates?" His voice was cold, but still not as cold as a pirate menace should have.

Usopp started saying, "Oh, we aren't --"

Then Hugo interrupted, "Yes, their ship had--"

Hugo was also interrupted when the front door suddenly opened and another man in the same black uniform as Kraken and the man behind him. This man looked younger though, and he held a rope in his hand. "Grimmy" he said.

"Dendes!" Kraken yelled. "I'm busy with these intruders right now! So wait outside until I'm done!"

"Oh, more intruders? You can't blame them for trespassing, since they don't even know this place exists. Anyway, I'll wait out here."

Kraken sighed.

_What was that all about?_ Usopp thought.

"As I was saying," Hugo continued, "Their ship was flying the skull and crossbones. Vard has been searching through his logbook for which crew carries that flag. I think he knows by now."

"Good", Kraken replied. "Then I suppose I can interrogate the three with Vard while these two are sent to the slave camp. Now then, Ugama, isn't it your duty to operate the slave camp? Take these two and enlist them immediately."

The man behind him responded. "Yes sir". Then he took the rope tied to Usopp and Nami from Hugo's pirate. "Is that all?" Ugama asked.

"Yes," Kraken replied. "That's all with these two for now. I will tell Vard to come here on my walkie-talkie."

As Usopp exited through the door with Nami and Ugama, he turned his head and saw the man earlier, Dendes. The rope in his hand was tied to another man.

When they were outside, Usopp and Nami felt that they shouldn't talk with Ugama listening, but they were both thinking two things. _That was the ruthless fiend Grim Kraken?_ and _Who is Vard and what is Luffy doing with him?_


	5. Questions

**Chapter 5: Questions**

Hey, I don't have to go anywhere! Please review. I don't own One Piece.

As Nami, Usopp, and Ugama were walking back to the slave camp, Nami had something she wanted to ask. She wasn't sure if this was the time to talk though.

But then Usopp asked, "Can I ask a question?"

"What is it?" Ugama replied.

"Are there any enforcers or guards other than the Brass and Iron Security pirates?"

Ugama grinned. "Are you thinking of escape? Well, there is the Land Squad controlled by Burnz. Do you remember those green-uniformed soldiers we passed on the hill? They're the Land Squad. They deal with any intruders that the Security pirates missed. There are also the overseers led by me who enforce the slave camp. And here's the entrance to the slave camp right now. The overseers have red uniforms. And they're armed as well, so obey them."

Before they reached the gate, Nami asked "Can I ask a question as well?"

"What is it?" Ugama replied.

"Who was that Dendes guy, the person at Kraken's office? He was wearing the same colored uniform as you and Kraken..."

"Oh him?" Ugama answered. "Ask the sages."

"The sages?"

"Just ask around the camp and you'll find them."

At Kraken's office building...

Vard entered the room. Behind him were three soldiers, each holding an unconscious person in a straitjacket. On the opposite side of the room was Grim Kraken, sitting behind his desk, important papers in front of him, a frown on his face. Dendes was leaning against the side wall.

Vard spoke up, "These are the other three intruders."

Kraken asked, "And you say that you and Hugo split up these men and their crewmates because these three were dangerous, hence the straitjackets?"

"Yes," Vard replied. "And I have learned in this logbook that these intruders are the Straw Hat pirates, the captain with a bounty of 30 million belli."

"That's actually my logbook, you know" Dendes commented.

Vard rolled his eyes "Yes, it was yours, but there's a thing called photo copying."

"Enough," Kraken spoke. "Thank you Vard, for bringing these pirates to me. You may leave them here and I'll interrogate them."

Then Vard's pirates dropped the fallen Straw Hats.

"Now return to your duties. That goes for you too, Dendes. Load up and get out of my sight."

"Actually, I think I'll stay here a little bit longer" said Dendes as he stood up and walked towards the door.

"DENDES!" Kraken yelled. "You have an important job as the company's bounty hunter! Leave NOW! Commanding a company that helps pirates is expensive and hard work!"

Dendes stopped walking. He just stood right in front of the door, still. Then he said,

"Fine, Grimmy."

"And don't call me that!"

Dendes left.

"How old was he again?" Vard asked.

"Twenty-four, since I last checked. And didn't I tell you to leave as well?"

"Sorry, Master Kraken" and Vard turned towards the door with his three pirates.

"Oh, and here" then Vard tossed a remote towards Kraken before leaving.

"...hmm?..." went one of the bodies on the floor.

Okay, this fanfic may seem kind of strange now, but it'll clear up soon.


	6. Dreams

**Chapter 6: Dreams**

I still don't own One Piece. Please review, I haven't been getting any at all lately. And I'll just warn you now that this is the longest chapter yet.

_Shortly after Nami, and Usopp arrived at the slave camp, Ugama had enlisted them at the clerk building, where they went through a diagnostic check to find the job most appropriate for them. Nami ended with the job as a cartographer, and Usopp was sent to work at a warehouse to produce raw materials. The whole time, they still didn't know where Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji were._

Kraken was sitting in a dark room. There was no light whatsoever. When Dendes came in through a door, there was still no light.

There were actually three doors. One from the west, one from the north, and the door which Dendes came through, the north - west door. Beyond the north door was a cellar, where three pirates yet to be questioned are sleeping.

"You haven't left yet?" Kraken asked.

"You said that when you're done with the intruders you're going to either enslave them or execute them. I'll get the bounty on their heads when you're done."

As Kraken stood up in the dark, he spoke, "How do you know that I'll decide to get rid of them?"

Dendes answered, "Past experiences."

"Whatever" Kraken replied. "Don't move. There are more traps here than furniture."

"Like you keep telling me. Has there ever been an asshole who's survived a trip out of this room? No. All those who entered this room, they were took into the cellar. Then -"

"I made this room. It's stupid enough to hear a lecture on a dumb room that I know nothing about."

"I thought you'd love to hear about your marvelous creation. One armed with traps for the purpose of execution than for privacy."

"So it is."

* * *

Luffy woke up. He was facing the ceiling, not that he could tell in the dark.Then a lantern came on, and Luffy gave out a big yawn. Zoro and Sanji woke up at that moment as well. 

"That was a nice nap" Luffy said.

"I think you should pay attention, Luffy. We're stuck in these weird straitjackets in a barely lit room with some strange guy in front of us."

"That's right." Kraken spoke. "Pay attention. Now, I'm going to ask each of you a set of questions, and I want you to answer honestly, because your life depends on it."

"Says who?" Sanji asked. "And who are you anyway?"

"I'll tell you later." Kraken replied as he pulled out a remote. "And I can use your straitjackets against you, so don't speak unless I ask you first. First, I'll ask this boy, Monkey D. Luffy."

"Hey, you know my name!" Luffy replied.

"Of course, you retard." Kraken scolded back. "You're a wanted man with 30 million belli on your head."

"There's money on my head?"

"I mean there's a bounty for your head! As dumb as you are...Anyway, let's talk. Now, what was your motive for coming across my island?"

"Simple." Luffy answered. "Me and my crew were sailing across this sea to get to an island."

"And what were you going to that island for?" Kraken asked.

"Uh, relax, stock up on supplies, check out the tourism, I guess. And beat up any pirate or Marine I meet."

"I see. And what do you hope to gain from all this?"

Then Zoro realized, _He's interrogating him! He wants to know why we entered his territory!_

Luffy answered, "To become King of the Pirates!"

Kraken didn't say anything. He just kept his face stern, the frown there as always, and stared at Luffy's face. After a few moments, he just walked over to Zoro.

_That's it?_ Luffy thought.

Kraken kneeled down in front of Zoro.

With his eyes looking straight at him, Kraken asked, "Is what that boy said true?"

Zoro nodded.

"Well then, what's your dream?"

Zoro responded, "To become the greatest swordsman in the world."

Kraken waited a second, then spoke, "That dream is dangerous and almost impossible to fulfill. Did you know that?"

"Of course I knew. I've always known. But I have to do it."

"Why?" Kraken asked.

"Because I've made a promise. Two promises actually. One promise to my late friend, one to myself. Both tell me I have to become the best in the world."

Kraken thought for a second, then stood and walked to Sanji.

Sanji was laid on the loor, not in the mood to sit up against the wall like Zoro and Luffy. His hair covered his left eye as always, and his cigar was long gone. Kraken stood over him.

"Do you have a dream of your own, or a reason to be with these two?" Kraken asked.

Sanji answered, "My dream is to find the All Blue."

Kraken said nothing.

"Well?" Sanji asked. "Aren't you going to tell me there's no such thing? It won't change the way I think, though. I'll still believe in that legendary ocean."

Kraken just asked, "Have you made a promise to someone as well?"

Sanji replied, "Yeah, to some worthless old geezer who saved my life and treated me like a son. What about it?"

Kraken walked away towads Luffy.

Kraken asked, "I forgot to ask you this. Do you have any promises you made?"

Luffy answered, "Yeah. I promised my friend that I would find One Piece."

Kraken asked another question, "Where is your friend now?"

"I don't know. He's somewhere in the seas. I have to find him."

There was silence.

Finally, Kraken started walking towards the door. He started mumbling something in his breath. The three Straw Hats couldn't hear him, but they were trying to hear. None of them were really sure why they cared what he said. It was as if there was something in what he was mumbling that wanted them to listen. And...

He seemed to be saying one word over and over. They still couldn't say what Kraken was saying, but then he turned and yelled,

"WORTHLESS ! YOU CAN'T FULFILL YOUR DREAMS ! YOU HAVE NO CHANCE! I SHOULD JUST KILL YOU !"

Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji all had a look of surprise. Then Kraken turned around again and picked up the lantern.

"Wait." Luffy spoke. "Are you Grim Kraken?"

"...Yes." came the reply. Then he unlit the lantern. Immediately, Luffy started screaming.

"WAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH! IT'S ALL DARK!"

They barely heard the door closing.

"GET A HOLD OF YOURSELF, LUFFY!"

* * *

Dendes had been waiting for Kraken to come out. 

When he did, Dendes asked, "So, you're keeping them?"

Kraken answered, "They're still too dangerous to put in the slave camp. I just don't want them dead."

"Well that's a first." and Dendes grinned in the pitch-black darkness.

Kraken saw him.

* * *

Being stuck in the darn straitjackets, Zoro and Sanji could only wait for Luffy to stop screaming. 

When it got quiet enough, Zoro asked Sanji, "What do you think was with Kraken at the end?"

Sanji replied, "Nami said he was the closest to finding One Piece in this age of pirates. Remembering that, I'm not surprised. Then again, there are the seven warlords...this is too confusing.

Remember to review.


	7. Thoughtsand Lunch

**Chapter 7: Thoughts...and Lunch**

I still don't own One Piece. Thanks to those of you who have reviewed.

Nami had finished drawing a map of an island in the East Blue when an overseer came to take it.

"You should be glad," the overseer said. "Navigators have to be smarter than the normal slaves, so they get special priveleges."

Nami got special priveleges when she served Arlong, as well. She wasn't glad.

"Now you can take a break while I get your next assignment" the overseer finished.

It was during that break when Nami dared to talk to the other navigators in the room. There were only nine, other than her. It was very fortunate that the woman at the desk next to her had just finished as well. She appeared to be in her forty's, an old age to be working as a slave, so maybe...

"Excuse me," Nami asked. "Do you know who or where the sages are?"

The woman looked at her with curiosity. Nami was about to repeat her question when the woman answered, "Oh, sages. I'm one of them."

"Great!" Nami replied. "Then--" she was cut off by the shouting of an overseer.

"Okay!" he yelled. "Is there anyone here named Nami?"

Hesitantly, Nami raised her hand.

"Nami! You have been assigned to lunch duty each day this week!"

_

* * *

In the slave camp, there are several warehouses where products are manufactured by slaves. Warehouses contain rooms for specific jobs and occupations, such as swordsmith and knitting pirate flags. _

_Warehouse 4, where Usopp works. There are three rooms in this building. In the blacksmithy, metal is shaped by slaves who had been trained in another life. In the largest room, the assembly room, an array of other slaves assemble products out of the pieces made in the blacksmithy. The third room is the technicians' lab, where more intelligent slaves create products out of scratch. It is this room where advanced weapons such as Krieg's battle spear are created._

With a screwdriver in his hand, Usopp began assembling the device in front of him. He was given a diagram of what it should end up like, and it appeared to be a weapon. After a while, he finished the item, which turned out to be a metal tomahawk. When he had finished, an overseer came to collect the finished product and gave Usopp new pieces for another tomahawk to be made. After continuing to make these, Usopp thought of what a brave warrior of the sea would do in this situation.

_Capturing people and forcing them into slavery is wrong, and a brave warrior of the sea should do what is right! A brave warrior of the sea should right what is wrong! Then that means I should free all these people who were meant to be free! And to do that, I should..._

_... lead a slave rebellion to overthrow Grim Kraken and destroy his company! Perfedt! That won't be too hard, I mean, Kraken didn't seem so tough when I saw him... Then again, what if that was really an act ? Or... oh what am I saying? All these slaves here have weapons right in front of them, under their nose! Including me! All we have to do is pick them up and beat these overseers and the Land Squad and the Security pirates and Kraken himself, and maybe that Dendes guy as well as Ugama..._

_Aw crap, that's a lot._

_But maybe the slaves would outnumber them all, even if the officials are so much more well-trained --_

Usopp was having a hard time being positive.

_Wait! There's still Luffy! As well as Zoro and Sanji! The rebellion would be a sure success with them! But, where are they anyway? Could Kraken have destroyed them already?_

Usopp's thoughts were interrupted by the loud ringing of a gong. Then all the slaves began walking towards the door while the overseers kept guard.

Usopp was puzzled of course, so he asked a person next to him, "Hey, what is everyone leaving for?"

The person replied, "Lunch."

* * *

Meanwhile, the other three Straw Hat pirates were still being held in the cellar. 

"I'm starving" Luffy said.

"So Sanji," Zoro asked. "What is it about the seven warlords?"

"Well," Sanji answered. "The seven warlords are known as the most powerful pirates of the seas, right? And if Grim Kraken is supposed to be the closest to ever finding One Piece, then --"

The door opened. The three pirates all looked up into...nothing but darkness.

"Lunch", and a paper bag was thrown onto the floor, then the door closed.

"OH BOY!" Luffy shouted with glee. "I can't wait to eat it!"

"Hey, make sure you share it with us" said Zoro in the pitch-black darkness. "Once you find it."

Then Sanji spoke, "How are you going to eat it anyway, in these straitjackets?"

Nonetheless, Luffy commenced to crawl around on the floor, hunger driving him to search for food.

* * *

I'm just gonna say this now: The people called the sages in this story are not real sages. "Sage" is just a nickname given to these people who were the first to be captured and enslaved by Grim Kraken, so they have the most knowledge from being there so long. Real sages are not in their forties, more like over a hundred years old.  
Also, I'm going on a trip this week, so just wait a while for the next chapter. 


	8. Dedication

**Chapter 8: Dedication**

And so, I am back from my one-week trip. I just had to watch some fansubs before making the next chapter.  
I own One Piece! I'm kidding. Reviews are deeply appreciated (Again, thanks to those of you who have already reviewed).

Nami was cutting up some lettuce. Mashed potatoes and salad were on the menu.

She wasn't sure how she had gotten kitchen duty. They probably just randomly picked slaves to cook, but still, on the Going Merry, Sanji would constantly flirt with her and make special dishes in the kitchen, and now she was the one cooking, as if it was some omen. _It doesn't matter,_ she thought. _But I still want to see that sage and find out who that Dendes guy is._

She turned to speak to the middle-aged man next to her.

At the moment, that man was in an argument with another guy next to him.

"This gravy's no good, Sooze. Can't you make anything better?" said the man next to Nami.

"I poured all my concentration on that gravy, Bunge!" said the other man, whose name was obviously Sooze.

"Yeah? Well you need more than concentration to cook well."

At that point, Nami turned the other way and asked the man she was now facing,

"Excuse me, but can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?" He replied.

Nami asked, "Can you tell me what you know about the sages? And maybe that guy with Kraken named Dendes?"

The man just looked at Nami for a second, then said, "Are you new here?"

Nami answered, "Yes".

"Okay," the man replied. "Well, the sages... they are the first people to be enslaved by Kraken six years ago. They've been here in this slave camp ever since it was created.They have learned every aspect to living here and know its entire history, so they have that nickname, the sages."

_So that's why Ugama told me to ask them, _Nami thought. "And do you know anything about a man named Dendes?"

"Well, one time, I did wonder who he was, so I asked one of the sages, and..."

Nami waited.

"Before Kraken formed his company, Kraken Corpse, Dendes was the first mate of his pirate crew."

_First mate!_ Nami thought. _The same person who slaughtered the sailors of five Marine ships!_

"And now, Dendes serves as a bounty hunter, carefully hunting down pirates and other criminals so the Marines don't know that he works for Kraken. Then the bounties he collects are used to keep the company in business. Also, the man named Ugama, he was Kraken's navigator, but now he operates the slave camp while Kraken handles the business part of the company."

"Okay," Nami spoke. "Thank you".

Just then, Sooze yelled out, "Oh yeah! Well what about when you're not in the kitchen? You have a fun time trying to milk those cows on the farm!"

"Oh sure," Bunge replied sarcastically. "I"m the one who can't catch a measly chicken!"

"Why you-" Sooze and Bunge both grabbed a knife and lunged at eachother--

until Nami slammed both of them on the head, causing them both to fall to the ground.

"Give me those knives!" she shouted. Sooze and Bunge both complied.

"If a tool is used for cooking, you use it for cooking. If you two cooks have dedication, you wouldn't use a knife as a weapon just because it's sharp."

"Dedication?" Bunge spoke as he got up. "I've got plenty of dedication! Come on, people! This is no time for talking! We have thirty minutes left to finish cooking!"

With that, Bunge and the rest of the cooks continued cooking. Except Sooze, who sat on the floor.

"Sooze?" Nami spoke.

"I had dedication as a technician". Then he got up. "But I can still cook than stupid Meatballhead over here!"

"What did you call me?" Bunge replied.

"Just wait! The people are going to lick this gravy off their plates!"

"Oh, is that a bet?"

As they kept squabbling, Nami thought to herself, _"If you two cooks have dedication, you wouldn't use a knife as a weapon just because it's sharp".Those words, they sound exactly like something Sanji would say. He had such dedication, he wouldn't even fight with his hands. But I'm actually dedicated to navigating myself. I'm also dedicated to mapmaking._ She thought of her dream to map the entire world. How could she do that in a slave camp?

* * *

Meanwhile, you-know-where...

Zoro gave out a big snore.

"So then the short guy chopped down the huge tree, and the lumberjack said "That's amazing! Where did you learn to do that?" and the short guy replied, "The Sahara Forest". Then the lumberjack said, "Don't you mean the Sahara Desert?" and the short guy says, "Is that what they call it now?" HAHAHAHAHA!" Sanji laughed out loud.

"What's the Sahara Desert?" Luffy asked.

"Now that you mention it, I don't really know." Sanji replied. "I just got that joke from the Crap-Geezer. Maybe it's some island in the Grand Line".


	9. The Overseer With a CrabFist

**Chapter 9: The Overseer With a Crab-Fist**

Okay, I guess Nami was somewhat out of character in the last chapter. Very sorry.

I still don't own One Piece. Please review.

As Usopp stood in line to get his lunch, he continued creating an escape plan in his head.

_Okay, so first, I'll find Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. Then, we'll gather the slaves, and together all of us will beat up Kraken and all of his soldiers. Or maybe I'll have to gather the slaves and beat up the overseers before I can find Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. If I find Nami and get all the slaves to follow me, that should work. _

He glanced towards the overseers at one table, talking to eachother and laughing in their red uniforms. A pouch, holding a sword, was slung over their shoulder, and they each wore a thickly metal-plated glove on one hand.

_The slaves will have to get weapons, and me as well, since all my stuff were confiscated when I first got captured,_ Usopp realized. _Now, at the assembly line where I worked, each of the slaves have pieces in front of them to make weapons and other pirate equipment. Those pieces are given to them by the overseers. If I try to smuggle all the pieces they give me, they'll definitely notice. I could take just a couple small pieces and get away with it, but what can I do with those? I need to make to make real weapons with the stuff I steal, weapons that will get me and the rest of the crew out of here._

Usopp got to the front of the line and received his food. If he wasn't thinking so hard, he would have seen a red-haired girl passing by on the other side of the counter with a tray of biscuits, and if the girl wasn't occupied, she would have noticed Usopp.

_But wait, the overseers don't keep track of the tools that the slaves use, like the hammers and the screwdrivers on their desks._

Usopp looked around for somewhere he can sit. When he found an unoccupied table, he started walking towards it.

_I could hide a hammer in my pocket, then tell one of the overseers, "Oh, I lost my hammer. Can I get a new one?" and if every slave did that, we could actually be strong enough to defeat Kraken! Well, actually, the overseers would get suspicious._

Then Usopp heard laughter from the overseers again. As he stopped walking and turned his head towards their table, he thought,

_Laughing at a labor camp just because you're better than the suffering slaves! Well, you won't be laughing when I put my plan into action! That'll prove that I'm a brave warrior of the sea! Of course, I have to finish my plan first, but right now, I can start smuggling tools and storing them-- wait, storing... I have to think of that too._

Then when Usopp turned his head back around, he noticed the wall facing his side. He passed out.

* * *

"Hey! Get up!"

Usopp woke up startled. He was on the floor and an overseer was standing before him, authoritative-looking as all guards were supposed to be. But no matter how authoritative he was, it didn't matter to Usopp's unsuppressed anger.

"Evil! Kraken is evil! All his officials are evil! You wicked people!"

A red metal-plated glove swung down on Usopp's face. By this time, everybody in the room was looking at them.

Nami watched with the other kitchen workers. "Is that... Usopp?"

The side of Usopp's face was swelling.

"You don't insult Master Kraken. And you don't insult me either" said the overseer in a stern voice. "You don't insult any of your superiors. Now, what is this about, anyway?"

Usopp stuck out his finger. The overseer looked towards where he was pointing and he saw it. A section of the wall marked with red streaks all over.

"You and the other guards did this."

The overseer chuckled, then started laughing hysterically. Then, shockingly, everyone seemed to be laughing. Not just the overseers, but everyone, including the slaves. The only two who weren't laughing were Usopp and Nami.

_What's going on! _Usopp thought.

The overseer in front of Usopp yelled at another overseer, "Hey Konzu! You said that was from a food fight yesterday, right?"

_WHA-!_

"Yeah, it was!" replied the other overseer.

"Well, there you go" and the overseer picked Usopp up with his two hands. "Now, get another tray of food so you have energy to do more work later. I'll get the janitor to clean up the food you dropped."

The laughing witnesses started calming down.

As Usopp walked away, the overseer spoke behind him, "You're new here, eh? Me too. I just enlisted this morning, as a matter of fact. My name's Leith."

Usopp just kept walking.

* * *

Zoro woke up. He heard another person snoring.

"Anyone awake here?" Zoro asked.

"That would be you and I" a voice spoke. Sanji.

"So you've been awake since we got here" said Zoro.

"I'll admit it wasn't easy."

"Any idea how long we've been here?"

"Well, based on the nunber of times I saw the sun set - oh yeah, we're in a dungeon. Let me check my watch - oh yeah, I'm stuck in a god-forsaken straitjacket."

"And you never had a watch to begin with" Zoro added.

"Hmph."

"You sound grumpy. Now I know how a guy is like when he's missing his cigars. I can't stand this either."

"So what are we gonna do about this?"

"...There's nothing to do for now. Let's just wait." Zoro replied.

"I was afraid you'd say that."

_

* * *

A food fight in a slave camp, huh?_

Usopp was eating his lunch when a boy who seemed to be a teenager came to his table and sat facing towards him. Usopp just kept eating. The gravy tasted very good.

"Did it hurt?" the boy asked.

"Huh?" Usopp replied.

"Did it hurt? That crab-fist?" The boy asked again.

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"The crab-fist. You know, that red metal-plated glove the overseer punched you with."

Usopp wanted to eat in peace right now. "Heck yeah, it hurt."

"Did it _really_ hurt?"

"Yes, it was painful."

"COOL! I've always wanted to try using one of those before! Those gloves have built-in shotguns as well, don't they sound awesome?"

_What the fuck is the matter with this guy?_


	10. The Boy Named Sore

**Chapter 10: The Boy Named Sore**

Okay, I guess it took a while to make this chapter. I'm sorry.  
And so, I still don't own One Piece.  
In case you were wondering, Luffy did find that lunchbag in chapter 7.

* * *

Lunchtime was almost over, but Nami still had duties to do in the kitchen. She checked every machine to see that they were off and placed all the equipment back were they were before. Now, she had to talk to Usopp before he left. She wanted to tell him about she discovered on Dendes, and she would probably have to console him as well, with that embarassing incident with the overseer. Maybe Usopp also had something to tell her. 

"Where do you think you're going?" said a voice behind her.

Nami turned around to see an overseer behind her.

"I want to see someone." said Nami. "It's okay if I do that, right?"

"Not until you're done with your duties." the overseer replied.

"But I **am** done with my duties!"

"Well, you have cleaning duty now. As in, you have to wash the dishes, so get working" and with that, the overseer pushed Nami towards the sink.

With an upset expression on her face, Nami faced the window where the slaves were placing their uncleaned dishes. Usopp was already walking through the exit.

With a sigh, Nami turned the water on and began washing some plates.

_

* * *

Okay, Usopp thought as he walked back to his warehouse. __So basically, I'll start smuggling some tools from the assembly room, like hammers and screwdrivers. Those will make good weapons. At least the hammer, anyway, since I've used one on that merman guy. _Usopp thought as he walked back to his warehouse. 

Then he found himself at a fork in the road. _Where is that warehouse again? _He looked up at a building. "Warehouse 7", a sign said. He looked to his left. "Warehouse 6". Usopp worked at warehouse 4, so he had to walk that way.

_And I'll take some small materials that the overseers give me, such as nuts, bolts, and screws. All the slaves in my warehouse will do that too, and we'll make some stuff out of those, store them in a safe place, and I'll get the slaves to rebel against the overseers, then onto all of Kraken's other soldiers, so then we'll all be free and my crew can go back out to sea. Come to think of it, to beat all of the soldiers, I need all the slaves in this camp, not just those in my warehouse. Yeah, then that'll work. Perfect!... But I still need a place for storage. I'll have to look around and ask the other slaves._

As Usopp walked into the building, he noticed all the slaves who were just sitting, so he figured that they actually had a break time after lunch before they started working again. This should be a good time to talk to a slave about his idea. Or should he talk about his plan?

As Usopp sat down at his desk, he thought about this. Well, he didn't have to talk about his idea for a slave revolt, he could just mention it to someone and listen to what they had to say. Well, he had nothing to lose. Sitting next to Usopp, there was a blue-haired boy about his size. The boy had his back to him, so Usopp tapped his shoulder and, just to be polite, said, "Excuse me,".

Usopp did a double take when he turned around.

"Hey! You're that guy who talked about the crabfist thingy!"

"Hey! You're that guy who got punched by that overseer!"

For a few seconds, they just pointed at eachother.

"Is there something you want to ask me?" the boy asked.

"Uh, what are you doing here?" Usopp replied.

"I work here. I guess you never noticed me."

"Oh". Usopp abandoned the idea of mentioning his idea of a slave revolt. Not to this person. He seemed crazy from their first encounter.

"So, you must be new here." said the boy casually. "I would have noticed right away, but we slaves have our seats changed each week, so we don't get to know the people next to us. My name's Sore."

"My name's Usopp."

"Usopp, huh? Do you have any friends here?" asked Sore.

"Well," spoke Usopp, "I have four crewmates. One is a girl, and the three other guys, I don't think they're in this slave camp."

"Neat," Sore replied. "I have two cousins here in this warehouse, Kore and Areh."

"Kore and Areh, huh?" said Usopp. "Nice names."

"Kore is one year older than me, while Areh is about four weeks younger than me, and they're both in this warehouse, too."

"Really?" asked Usopp.

"Yeah," Sore pointed to a door. "Kore works in that room as a blacksmith," then he pointed to another door, "and Areh works in that room over there as a technician, which means that he's actually smarter than us."

_This conversation is pointless,_ Usopp thought. _Wait, I have an idea!_

"So how long have you been here as a slave?" Usopp asked.

"A few months." Sore answered.

"And you know this place pretty well?"

"Yeah. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, I was just wondering, do you have any personal hideout, like a secret place where you hang out during your breaks?"

"No. Why would I want one anyway?" then Sore looked up at the clock above the entrance. "Speaking of breaks, we'd better end this conversation for now."

Then one of the overseers blew a whistle and as the other overseers walked around giving slaves their raw materials, Usopp wallowed in disappointment for four more hours.

* * *

"We're in hell," said Sanji. "We died in this cellar without knowing it and we're in hell. We thought hell was a place with fire and the devil, but we were wrong. Hell is a dark place where you can't even move." 

The only answer was the snoring of two people. Despite his anxiety from the lack of drugs, Sanji felt his eyelids growing heavy. There had been nothing happening in that cellar for so long, and he finally went to sleep.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sore is pronounced as "So-reh" as Kore is pronounced as "Ko-reh" and Areh (normally spelled as "Are") is pronounced as "A-reh". There is an "h" at the end of Areh to avoid confusion with the word "are". Also, in Japanese, Sore means "this" while Kore means "that" and Are means "that over there". 


	11. Yoru Yoru

**Chapter 11: Yoru Yoru**

Eek. Okay, in the last chapter's author's note I said that Sore means "this" and Kore means "that" in Japanese, but I actually got mixed up. Kore means "this" and Sore means "that". I'm really sorry about that. The names in this fanfic haven't changed, they're still the same.  
I still don't own One Piece. Reviews are appreciated .

* * *

Grim Kraken sat at his desk. As he looked through a wanted list, he came across a page with the face of a boy, with a head worth 30 million belli. Staring at the picture, he thought, _He wants to find One Piece and become King of the Pirates. His green-haired friend wants to be the greatest swordsman in the world. His blonde friend wants to find the All Blue. There is a link between those dreams. _

He read the bounty again. _30 million belli._ _So you want to find One Piece. You'll have to do better than that._

Then he looked at the wall. Four wanted posters were pinned in a line. The first had an 33 million belli bounty. The second had a 90 million belli bounty. The third had a 180 million bounty. The last one had a 210 million belli bounty.

_Amazing how expensive my head is,_ Kraken thought. Then he looked at another wanted poster. It had a bounty of 76 million belli. Looking at this, Kraken grinned and teasingly thought, _You never could have caught up to me, Dendes._

Then, Kraken stood up, walked over to the office entrance, and locked the door.

* * *

In the cartography room, Nami looked at the clock. Ten minutes after six, only five minutes until dinner time. She could look for Usopp during that time.

* * *

Three sleeping bodies were layed upon the ground. 

One of them spoke. "...Hnn...meat..."

"OWW! What the damn--"

"Hnn? Sanji? Is that you? Wait, you're not meat."

"Did you bite me!"

"WAAHH! Um, no."

"Luffy, you fuckin'--" In an amazing act of strength, Sanji actually hopped up into a standing position with the straitjacket still on, then proceeded to jump on Luffy, swearing at the same time. Luffy, after being hopped on twice in a row, tried to dodge Sanji's next assault by rolling away, and ended up slamming into Zoro. Zoro woke up with a shock, and since he was lieing against the wall with Luffy in front of him, Sanji jumped... and hit his face against the wall. For a couple seconds, the three of them just stayed there, in a pile, none of them moving. Then, Zoro and Sanji both shouted, "LUFFY!".

"What?" came the response.

"My, this is a noisy room."

Sanji, Luffy, and Zoro all turned their heads towards that voice.

"It's him," said Zoro. He and Sanji both grew a stern look, not that Kraken would probably see it in the dark.

"Who?" said Luffy.

"IT'S GRIM KRAKEN, YOU RETARD! THE GUY WHO CAPTURED US!"

"WAAH! he is!"

Facing towards Kraken, Sanji said, "We've been here long enough, you bastard, when are you going to let us go!"

"GOMU GOMU NO BELL!"

Nothing happened.

"You see, this is why only your straitjacket has a hood attachment" said Kraken.

"ERRGHHH..."

Since Zoro couldn't see Luffy in the dark, he asked, "What are you doing, Luffy?"

"GOMU GOMU NO CHOMP!"

"Oh, so you were trying to squeeze your face out."

"And he did a good job at that" said Kraken.

"What!"

"We can't see anything!" yelled Sanji. "Tell us what's going on!"

They heard someone choking.

"He stretched his neck and tried to bite me, but I caught his throat" said Kraken.

Zoro and Sanji were taken back. "But how could you catch him if you can't see him?" asked Sanji.

Kraken released Luffy's neck and his head flew into the wall.

"I can see him. I can see anything in the dark. Better than I can see in the light, actually."

"Wait," said Zoro, "you ate a Devil fruit, didn't you?"

"What!" yelled Luffy. Sanji just glared at Kraken.

"The Yoru Yoru no mi, night-night fruit. Sight, touch, hearing, whenever there is darkness, those senses become sharper than in the light. And as another effect, I can even camoflauge myself in dimness. Before I created this company, I was a nocturnal pirate. I was powerful enough to defeat a Warlord at night, but enough of this. I just came here to bring you guys dinner."

Kraken had caught Luffy's attention. As Kraken tossed a lunchbag onto the floor, Luffy stretched his mouth out and devoured the entire bag. Kraken also tossed a bag in front of Zoro and Sanji. It was open and its contents spilled out, which was good, since they were still stuck in a straitjacket and couldn't open it if they had to.

Then, as Kraken opened the exit, he sarcastically said, "Enjoy your stay here."

* * *

It was 6:45. _Where the hell is Usopp!_ Nami thought in the dining hall. 

Meanwhile, Ugama walked into the kitchen and shouted, "Hey! Who made this delicious curry?"

Sooze and Bunge both walked up to him. "That would be us," said Bunge.

"Didn't you two also make the mashed potatoes for lunch today?"

Sooze and Bunge both nodded.

"Great! From now on, you two will also be making breakfast."

"Wha-" Sooze started to say, until Bunge cut him off. "That would be fine with us, sir."

"Good to hear that." and Ugama then walked away.

"What was that for!" said Sooze. "Don't you know that breakfast crew has to wake up an hour before the rest of the slaves!"

"So what if we have to wake up early?" said Bunge. "It wouldn't matter to a truly dedicated cook."

Sooze was about to say something, but he just folded his arms and mumbled loudly enought for Bunge to hear, "I didn't say it bothered me."

"Yeah right, faker," Bunge replied.

Nami finally got sick of waiting, put her tray away, and went back to the navigator lodge._ I wonder if Usopp has a plan to find Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji..._

* * *

There was a soldier patrolling the forest, when he found a boy walking around. "Hey! You!" he shouted. 

The boy turned around. He had a long nose and wore overalls. He was also holding something in his hand.

As the soldier walked over to him, he asked "What are you doing here?"

The boy replied, "Uh, some overseer told me to deliver this package to Kraken, so I came here, but I got lost."

The soldier exploded into laughter.

* * *

Author's Note: Okay, there were some awkward parts. I hope that nobody minds that I use Gomu Gomu No instead of gum-gum. I debated with myself over which one to use, then I decided that since I was using the phrase "Yoru Yoru no mi", I should use Gomu Gomu No. And yes, Yoru means night, I checked. If anyone has a problem with that or anything at all, you can send a review. 


	12. Good Night Part 1

**Chapter 12: Good Night, Part 1**

Okay, there may have been misunderstanding in the last chapter. Usopp was not trying to escape or hide. He really did get sent to deliver a package and got lost (Hey, it's a long walk and there's no road). There's nothing in the woods for him, particularly since there are guards and the camp is enclosed in an electric fence. I just put this notice up because one person who reviewed seemed to have misunderstood, but it's good that I've cleared that up now.  
Now, as I was working on this chapter, I realized it was going to be long enough to cover three pages when I print it, so I split it into two parts.

Now, introducing Good Night, Part 1.  
Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, this wouldn't be a fanfic, would it? No, it would probably be a filler arc.Please review.

* * *

The time is 10:15. Nami had been waiting all day to talk to Usopp, and as she was walking down the pathway, there he was. She ran up to him. 

"There you are, Usopp! I've been waiting to talk to you since lunch!"

Usopp kept walking with a bummed expression on his face and said, "Is this urgent? I'm not really in the mood to talk right now."

Nami started walking with him, "Is it because of that lunch incident? You should just shake it off."

Usopp replied, "That's not all. Right before dinner, one of the overseers told me to deliver something to Grim Kraken's office, and I got lost in the woods."

"Oh."

The two of them just kept walking.

"Well, I just thought you might be lonely, but if you don't want to talk, I'll leave right now."

"Yeah, that would be nice."

Then Nami walked away, and came back. "Where do the slaves sleep, anyway?".

* * *

All eyelids halfway closed, three bodies were layed in a circle. 

"We need to get out of here" said Zoro.

"And how do we do that?" replied Sanji.

Luffy said nothing.

"...Damn fuckin' straitjackets!" yelled Zoro. "If only we were out, we could break the door down! Luffy! Do something!"

"Huh?" replied Luffy. "What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know!" answered Zoro. "But you can stretch your neck out, so do something!"

"Hmmmm..."

It was silent for a few minutes.

"Hey, I have an idea." said Luffy.

"You do?" Sani and Zoro replied at the same time.

"Gomu Gomu no Balloon!" Luffy began breathing in, but it was only a few seconds later when he had to blow all the air back out.

"Dammit, I can't get big because of this jacket!"

"Wait," said Sanji. "Keep doing that."

"Okay," Luffy replied. "Gomu Gomu no Balloon!"

"Do you think he might actually get out by doing that?" asked Zoro.

"Maybe," said Sanji. "I just like this breeze he's making."

* * *

Usopp lied down on one of the lower bunk beds in the cabin. He had split up with Nami since the men and women had different cabins. There were four men cabins and four women cabins. Usopp didn't meet any of the people in this cabin yet, except when he asked the overseer where he slept. He didn't really care about meeting any of theother peopleright now. After a miserable day, he just wanted to rest. Then he sees a pair of eyes peeking from the bed above him. 

For a few seconds, Usopp just looked at the boy's eyes, and they stared back.

"I'm new here." said Usopp. The boy just kept staring, although his eyes slightly narrowed a bit.

"My name is Usopp". No change in the other boy's expression.

It was quiet for a few more seconds.

Then the boy poked his head out and said, "You might want to brush your teeth before you sleep." Judging by his face and voice, he seemed to have just started his teenage years.

"Yeah well, I don't have any toothpaste,"Usopp replied.

Then an overseer came over with a small sack, handed it to Usopp, and said, "Here are your night supplies. Almost forgot to give them to you."

Usopp looked inside the sack. There was a set of pajamas, a towel, a bar of soap, a toothbrush, and a tube of toothpaste. Glancing back at the boy, he said, "Well, then, I'd better brush my teeth and change into these pajamas now, don't I?"

The boy just lied down on his bed.

_What's with him? _thought Usopp.


	13. Good Night Part 2

**Chapter 13: Good Night, Part 2**

Okay, that chapter is even longer than I thought, so I split it further into three chapters. This part contains Luffy, Zoro, Sanji, and Kraken. Usopp and Nami will come in the next one.  
I still don't own One Piece, and please review. I'm glad to see there are people enjoying this fanfic.  
Now for unlucky Chapter 13. Unlucky for me, that is. Damn spyware/adware!

* * *

"Pant, pant, Sanji, I'm not sure if this will work." whined Luffy. 

"Oh, I'm sure you'll get out eventually." replied Sanji.

"Okay. Gomu Gomu no Balloon!" and Luffy inflated himself again, expanding the straitjacket by only centimeters.

Then Zoro spoke, "Wait a minute, we've been here all this time, and we haven't thought of Nami or Usopp! Where are they!"

"Huh?" Sanji replied."...Wahh! Where's Nami? I went practically an entire day without thinking about her!"

Luffy exhaled. "Hmm? Nami? Usopp?"

Just then, all three of them heard the door open.

Kraken stepped in and glanced at Zoro, then Sanji, and Luffy. They all stared back, not that they could see him in the dark.

"Pitiful." spoke Kraken. "Look at yourselves. You're just a bunch of helpless weaklings. How do you expect to reach your dreams if you're this weak?"

"Did you come in here just to mock us," said Zoro, "or did you want something with us?"

Kraken stood silent for a few seconds, then answered, "I felt a draft coming from here."

Then Luffy replied, "Oh, that's me!", then he tried inflating himself for demonstration.

Kraken was slightly surprised, then he said, "Oh."

"IS THAT ALL?" Zoro and Sanji yelled.

"Yes, pretty much" Kraken answered.

"Well, now that you're here, why don't you tell us what happened to our nakama?" asked Zoro.

"Where's Nami!" yelled Sanji.

Kraken answered in a calm voice, "Oh, that girl and the long-nosed fellow? They're slaves now, what else would they be doing?"

"I want my nakama back!" yelled Luffy, "Bring them in here with us!"

Then Sanji yelled, "That's what we DON'T want him to do, you idiot!"

"Well, then," said Zoro. "Why aren't we slaves as well?"

Kraken answered, "That's because you're all strong fighters. Too strong to be slaves, because then, you might try to fight my guards, and then my other soldiers, causing a rebellion. I also wanted to question you. So I've been keeping you here."

"But how long are you going to keep us in here?" asked Zoro.

Kraken shrugged and answered, "Well, maybe until the day you die, or if I change my mind, I'll do something else."

Zoro and Sanji both glared at Kraken.

Luffy just said, "That's okay. I'm sure you will change your mind some time."

"And what makes you think that?" asked Kraken.

Luffy answered, "I think, maybe you'll want to set us free."

Kraken stood in silence as Zoro and Sanji had a confused look on their face.

"So, maybe I'll set you free." spoke Kraken. "Well, let me ask you this. Do you truly believe that you will find One Piece?"

"YES!" Luffy replied. "I'm going to find One Piece and become King of the Pirates!"

Kraken was silent for another moment, then spoke, "Thousands of pirates have said that and died. What do you think makes you different from them?"

This time, Luffy was silent for a moment, then grinned and said, "I have a dream... and nakama."

Kraken was surprised by Luffy's grin, then he turned around. Before he walked out the door and closed it, his last words were, "You need willpower and strength to smile like that all the time." Luffy watched him, although, he couldn't see anything in the dark.

There was silence.

"Luffy," said Zoro.

"Huh?" Luffy replied.

"Do you think Nami and Usopp can get us out of here?"

Luffy grinned and answered, "I don't know, but the two of them sure are smart."

Zoro just leaned back and thought of the argument they had, when he called Usopp a coward. _Usopp, you're the one who made the plan to fight the Black Cat pirates. Now, if you don't think of a plan to get us out of here, I'm gonna kick your ass._

* * *

As usual, Kraken had the frown and stern expression on his face. Back in his office, Kraken once again looked at Luffy's wanted poster. It had that big smile, like the one he saw in the cellar. _Any pirate can smile in the face of danger. There are even pirates who can smile and get a higher bounty than him._ And he thought of Gold Roger, his own smile when he was executed. _If this boy... Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hat pirates... is going to be King of the pirates... Straw hat..._

Kraken slowly grabbed his walkie-talkie. "Vard? Do you read me?"

"Yes, Master Kraken." came the response.

"Your crew took the cargo from the hostage ship this morning, correct?"

"Yes sir."

"Did you happen to find a straw hat?"

"Um... I did see one on the bridge."

"Get one of your men to send that hat to me."

"...Yes sir."

Kraken shut his walkie-talkie off. _If he's going to be King of the pirates, he'll have to get himself out of here. _

* * *

"Gomu Gomu No Balloon!" 

"Uh, you can stop that now, if you want to."

"I don't want to stop. This is the only way I can get out of this jacket!"

"Well, I doubt that'll work, but if you want to keep going, that's fine."


	14. Good Night Part 3

**Chapter 14: Good Night, Part 3  
**Okay, I haven't updated in a while, and my only excuse is: I wasn't motivated. I have brought shame to myself.  
Disclaimer: If I could, I would get a contract with Nintendo and Kaizoku Fansubs so people could watch One Piece on their DS's, but I can't because I don't own One Piece, nor work with Nintendo.(Good idea, though)  
The first day of slave camp is almost over! Please review.

* * *

Nami had just finished brushing her teeth and changing into the pajamas that the overseer of her cabin had given her. As she walked back to her bed, she thought, _Kraken sure is nice to supply sleeping gear for all the slaves, but why is he so nice? He's even called Grim Kraken._

Then she felt something bump against her leg. She looked down and saw a little girl carrying her sack of sleeping gear. In response, the girl looked up and was frightened, so she backed away. She was probably six or seven years old.

_Is this girl a slave?_ thought Nami. _Does Kraken enslave little children as well?_

"Carol?" The voice came from a woman behind the little girl. Intimidatedly, the little girl retreated behind the woman.

"I'm sorry," explained Nami, "I was just walking and didn't look where I was going, so I kind of bumped into her."

"That's okay," the woman replied. "Say, are you new here? I haven't seen you before."

"Yes," replied Nami, "I was with my pirate crew when we got caught this morning."

"You're a pirate?" asked the woman, "About six months ago, I was a passenger of a ship until it wandered into this area and got caught. Oh, and my name is Jana, and this girl is Carol. I adopted her several years ago."

"I see," replied Nami. "My name's Nami." Nami looked at Jana. She was between twenty and thirty years old and had her brown hair tied in a ponytail.

Then she looked back at Carol. "Is Carol a slave here?" she asked.

"Yes, in a way," answered Jana. "She's my assistant in the technicians' lab, as all the small kids are spared from hard labor."

"Oh, so you're a technician and she's your assistant?" asked Nami.

"That's right, although no matter what job you have, it doesn't feel right to make weapons so pirates can do more violence and pillaging. At least, that's the case with me, since my mother was a Marine."

Nami widened her eyes at this. "A Marine?"

"Yes," answered Jana. "It's not very common to find a Marine who is a woman, but she loved the town where she raised me, and she willing to lose her life to protect it. And that's exactly what happened."

"Oh," replied Nami. "That's so sad."

"Anyway," started Jana. "Carol and I still need to get ready for bed. Good night, Nami."

"Good night," Nami answered, then she walked back to her bed. As she lied there, she thought back to Jana's words, and was reminded of another woman, who sacrificed her life to save Nami and her sister. _Bellemerre..._

* * *

As Usopp walked back to his bed in his pajamas, he thought, _I still need to finish my revolt plan. All I have left to do is get a place where the slaves and I can store the materials that we get, then I'll make weapons out of those, and then we'll take out the overseers and find Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji. _

As Usopp sat down on his bed, he continued thinking, _If only I can find a storage place!_

"Hey Usopp!"

Usopp stopped thinking and switched his attention to in front of him. "This is the wrong bed. It has to be."

"So how'd your first day go?" asked Sore.

Usopp lied down on his bed.

"I see," said Sore. "Well, first day is the hardest, but you'll get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to it!" yelled Usopp. "I want to leave this place! That's why I've been making an escape plan!"

Sore was astonished. "An escape plan?"

"An escape plan?" said the boy on the bed above Usopp's.

Usopp was surprised by the boy."Hey, don't scare me like that!"

"An escape plan?" Usopp turned around, and to his horror, it was the overseer who had spoken.

"E-e-e-escape plan!" Usopp stammered. "I-I never said escape plan! I said -- egg-steak plan!"

"What?" spoke the overseer. "Egg-steak plan?"

"Yeah!" answered Usopp. "I have breakfast duty, and tomorrow, I'm using my plan to make eggs and steaks!"

"Oh," replied the overseer, then he walked away.

_That was a close one,_ thought Usopp. _But wait, escape and egg-steak don't even rhyme. Well, at least I didn't say revolt plan._

Then a tall, burly teenage boy came and asked, "Did something happen here?"

Sore replied, "Nothing interesting, Kore. It's just this newbie here named Usopp. He says he made an egg-steak plan for breakfast."

"Wait a minute!" said Usopp. "KORE? This is your cousin!"

"Yeah," replied Sore. "And that's Areh up there." He said pointing to the other boy on the bed.

Usopp gawked at Areh, Kore, Sore, back to Areh, and continuing in that cycle. Areh seemed slightly small for a teenager. Kore was a more burly type, and Sore fit right in the middle.

"Don't worry," said Kore, "Areh and I aren't as hyper as Sore."

"Uh," Usopp started, "'Hyper' isn't exactly the word I would use, kind of more like, a mixture of awkward and, uh... yeah.". Sore, Kore, Areh all gave him a strange look on their face.

Usopp crawled into his bed and said, "Good night."

Then as Sore crawled into his own bed, he replied, "Yeah, good night." and Kore climbed up to his bunk bed above Sore's while Areh, who was already in his bed, lied down and covered himself in the bedsheets. Then it was silent.

Such a quick change of scene, it was rather awkward.


	15. Breakfast Crew

**Chapter 15: Breakfast Crew**

All right, I was going to make this chapter longer, but I'm still not motivated, so I'm gonna go ahead and present this part. I have brought further shame to myself.

The beginning of Day two of slave camp!  
Disclaimer: If I owned One Piece, this wouldn't be a _fan_fic, would it? Please review.

* * *

5:00 AM 

"WWWHHHHHIIIIIIIIRRRRRRR!" A loud whistle blew.

"Breakfast crew must report to the kitchen now!" yelled an overseer. "The rest of you may sleep for another hour!"

As several men got up from their beds, Usopp thought, _Glad I'm not one of them._

"Hey, aren't you the guy who had the egg-steak plan?" Usopp looked up at the overseer.

_

* * *

I don't like how my day is starting. _

"All right, so to cook a steak, you first -- Hey! Are you listening to me?" spoke Sooze.

"Sorry," replied Usopp. "I just never wake up this early."

Sooze answered, "Well, you'd better get used to it."

"I don't want to get used to it!" replied Usopp. "That's why I made an -- egg-steak plan!" He just barely caught himself there. He didn't want to make the same mistake as last night.

"You don't want to get used to waking up early every morning, so you made an egg-steak plan?" asked Sooze. "Uh, I'm as confused as heck."

"Just forget that," said Usopp.

After Sooze finished giving directions, Usopp started cooking. Of course, he also thought of his slave revolt plan to refresh his memory. He repeated it over and over again, still paying attention to the cooking, and each time, he kept coming up with the roadblock that he couldn't seem to solve. _I can save my crew and free all the slaves here,_ he thought. _I just need a secret storage place and keep all the tools there, then once I got enough weapons made, I'll get word around the slaves so that they'll get ready for the rebellion. Finally, we'll all take down the overseers, and hopefully, I'll get Luffy, Zoro, and Sanji - wherever they are - and defeat the rest of Kraken's soldiers! What a great plan! _

Then as Usopp finished cooking the steaks, he finished thinking, _But, I still need a storage place, and not only that, it needs to be secret, and the slaves might lose, and I might not find my missing crewmates. Arghhh, this has to work. I'm a brave warrior of the sea!_

Time went by. By procedures of the slave camp, the kitchen crew would eat their meal depending on when they finish it. If they finished at least fifteen minutes before the other slaves arrived, they would eat early. If they don't finish that early, they have to wait until the other slaves are done and have twenty minutes to eat their meal.

This morning, they finished fourteen and a half minutes early.

"Those darn overseers would be surprised to see how quickly hungry people can eat." said Bunge.

* * *

Forty agonizing minutes later, the kitchen crew had gone ten minutes into their breakfast, when Usopp had to go to the restroom in the middle of a meal. So he went there, and on the way back, he realized that he could take a shortcut through the kitchen. 

So he walked through the kitchen when he heard something. It sounded like pieces of metal clanging against eachother. Usopp was startled for a second, but it was nothing important, of course. It was probably just a cooking utensil sliding on the dish rack. Then as he was about to open the door, he heard another sound. This time, it sounded like a quick, high-pitched sound from a messed-up flute, which you don't normally hear in a kitchen. The sound was faint, but the strangest part is, it came from one of the sink cabinets.

In curiosity, Usopp walked over to the cabinet and opened it. He didn't find anything unusual, just some ordinary water pipes with several valves and gauges. But he definitely heard something coming from here. _Was it a cricket? No, it didn't sound like any kind of bug..._ Then he heard the sound again, even fainter than before, but it was there, and it was coming from... _The ground?_ It seemed to be coming from underneath a tile. Usopp crawled towards it and reached for it with his left hand - when a cockroach popped out from under it. "AA-" Usopp started to shout, until he banged his head on a pipe.

As Usopp rubbed the back of his head, the cockroach scurried away. A few seconds later, he looked back at the tile. _There's definitely something there, _he thought.

* * *

That wasn't too disappointing, was it? I'll try to get the next chapter done sooner.


	16. Secret Den

**Chapter 16: Secret Den  
**Yeah! A new chapter only two days after the last one! Unfortunately, I'm going to Georgia for four days, so I can't update during that time.  
Disclaimer: I disclaim One Piece, not that I ever owned it in the first place. Please review.

* * *

Usopp lifted the tile, and realized that it wasn't just one tile, but actually several tiles pasted together into a square panel. By lifting the panel up, he uncovered a large hole. Then he realized something else. _A person could fit through that hole. This is a trapdoor!_ Usopp looked into the hole with caution. Did he have any reason to go down there? Not really. But then the idea hit him. _A trapdoor usually leads to a room. And when the trapdoor is hidden, that means it's supposed to be secret, and the room it leads to is a secret as well! Exactly what I needed for my plan! _

With new vigor, Usopp was about to start crawling down, when he remembered. _Wait, that sound I heard was coming from here, so there's probably someone in there._ He peered into the hole. It was dark in the cabinet, and it was even darker in the tunnel. "Is there anyone in there?" he asked. No one answered. Slowly, Usopp started crawling through the tunnel. Then suddenly, a light came on.

"Usopp?"

Usopp looked at the speaker. "Sooze! What the heck are you doing here!"

"What are you doing here!" Sooze replied. The light was coming from a lantern he had with him.

"I asked first!"

Fortunately, they were both whispering so nobody could hear them, even though they were the only ones in the kitchen.

"Well," Sooze started. "I always come here."

"What for?" asked Usopp.

Sooze hesitated, then said, "All right, if you want to know, come in here and close the trapdoor behind you."

Usopp followed him, closing the door as he was told.

The tunnel was somewhat steep, and it went about five meters down into the ground. When they got to the bottom, Sooze adjusted the lantern to get brighter. Usopp looked around and was shocked to find that they were in a wide room, sort of like a cave, with the walls and ceiling made of bedrock. Standing up,(Yes, there was enough space to stand) Usopp spotted several debris scattered around the room.

"Did you make this room?" Usopp asked.

"No" replied Sooze. "I found it while fixing the sink plumbing one day. But don't tell anyone about this place. It's a secret."

Usopp picked up an object that he found at his feet. It seemed to be some kind of pipe about ten inches long.

"What's this?" asked Usopp.

Sooze answered, "That's my latest invention. I was testing it right before you showed up. It's supposed to scare away unwanted bugs."

"So that's why that cockroach popped out of the trapdoor," Usopp mused. "Wait, did you say 'invention'?"

"Yeah," Sooze answered. "I used to be a technician for one of the warehouses in this camp, and it was a fun job too, until one of my creations messed up and I got moved to the farm, as well as being part of the kitchen crew during lunch. But then I found this place, and one of my friends who is still a technician would bring me some pieces of unused material that he hides in his clothes, and I like to come here when nobody's in the kitchen and make stuff out of them, like I did before."

Usopp scanned the room again. "So, you made all the stuff lieing around here? What kind of things did you make?"

Sooze answered, "Basically the same stuff I made before, with many new ones."

"The same stuff?" spoke Usopp. "Like, you make weapons here as well?"

"Well, I do make weapons when I'm really bored" Sooze answered.

Usopp was astounded at his luck. Not only did he find a secret storage place, but it was already loaded. "Sooze, have you planned to do anything with all these?"

"Not really," he answered. "I just come to this hidden room because my job at the farm sucks, and I like to invent things to releive myself. I don't plan on doing anything with it in the future."

"Bullshit!" said Usopp. "If you don't like your job, you and the rest of the slaves could have started a revolt against Kraken and his soldiers! Then you would all be free to do whatever you want!"

"A revolt?" spoke Sooze. "You mean a battle of all the slaves against Kraken's guards?"

"Yeah," replied Usopp. "I mean, there are enough weapons here, right?"

"Well, there are some weapons, and I could tweak more of them, and then there would be enough."

"Then-"

"Hold on, even with enough weapons, we and the rest of the slaves don't have any fighting experience. We couldn't beat the overseers, let alone Kraken's other soldiers, like the security pirates."

"But I have friends who could defeat them, they can even clobber Kraken himself."

"What? Really?"

"Sure. I don't know where they are, since I got separated from them when we were captured and taken here, but I know that they can free us all."

Usopp spoke with such hope, but he could tell that Sooze still had doubts in his mind.

"Well, do you think it might help if I got more material and put them here?"

Sooze answered, "It might, but can you do any technicians' work?"

"Sure," Usopp replied.

"Well then- hold on," said Sooze. He pulled a watch out of his pocket and looked at it. "Holy shit!" If we spend any more time here, we're gonna be late for our duties!"

Sooze crawled up the tunnel and out the trapdoor, followed by Usopp, who closed it. As Usopp stood up, back in the kitchen, Sooze stayed in the cabinet and tweaked with several valves.

"What are you doing?" asked Usopp.

Sooze answered. "Okay, look at this valve I'm holding."

Usopp kneeled down and looked.

Sooze turned the valve. "Now, turn this valve clockwise until the needle in this gauge reaches the red area, then give this other valve a 270-degree turn. That'll open the trapdoor. When you come out, reverse it and the door will be locked, so it won't open. I don't see how that works, but it might have something to do with surface pressure, or the guy who created the room made it work like that."

"Gosh," spoke Usopp. "That really makes it a safe room."

As Sooze stood up, he said, "Well, we'd better go. I'll reconsider your revolt plan if you get more people to support it. By the way, if you really want to put more stuff in there, you should ask the clerk to get the technicians' job."

* * *

Author's note: That chapter wasn't too bad, was it? I kind of rushed it. Truth be told, I don't know anything about plumbing or the effects of surface pressure on underground rooms. 


	17. Smoking Overseer

**Chapter 17: Smoking Overseer**

Note to self: Stop procrastinating, dammit! Yes, I haven't updated in a long, long, while. I have eternally shamed myself. For some reason, my gift of talented writing left me, so I made various other stories, waiting for my motivation on this story to come back. On the other hand, this chapter is kind of neat, so that may halfway compensate it.  
Disclaimer: I may be in high school now, but I still don't own One Piece.

* * *

Walking down the dirt road, Nami was thinking about the people she had seen at the camp. She spoke to the woman who worked next to her in the cartography room, but it was for only a few words, so maybe she doesn't count. There were also Sooze and Bunge, from the lunch crew, but all she knows about them is that they argue a lot. The only person she really talked to is Jana. In fact, Nami just realized that Jana was the only person who took the slave camp for what it really was: a place with no freedom. A place where each person's life would be limited, and they have no chance of pursuing their dreams, and no exploring the outside world, full of treasures. That's what this camp is, yet all the people Nami met here behaved as if it was just a summer camp. Except Jana.

"Peaceful morning, isn't it?"

Nami immediately turned to see who was talking to her.

An overseer was sitting in a chair, under the shade of a sunroof, lighting a cigar in his mouth. As he put the lighter away, he said, "Peace like this, it would be better if there was more of it in this world.

Nami thought about what he said, and she clenched her fists. _What peace?_ she thought. _You mean the peace that you guards and other officials get while the slaves do all this work so that Kraken's company grows, letting him capture more innocent people like Jana? You villains are unforgivable _-

"What? You disagree?"

The overseer's words broke Nami's thoughts, and her fists unclenched.

"Well, I don't care much what people think of me, anyway." said the overseer, then he rose from the chair and walked past Nami, who was looking at the ground when she heard a "POW!" sound.

She immediately turned and saw the overseer laying facedown on the ground, his cigar knocked out of his mouth. Standing upon him was a young man in a uniform that she had seen before.

The overseer turned to face the man. "What's the big idea-" he started, before he was stung by the man's sharp eyes.

"You're not supposed to smoke in the camp, Leith."

"Dendes, you're back early."

* * *

Sanji was drowsy, but he was close enough to being awake. Grim Kraken was in front of him. He had a penlight placed next to his ear, the brightest thing Sanji had seen for hours.

"Pick one," said Kraken, as he held out a large lunchbag in one hand, and a box of cigars in the other.

Sanji thought through this situation in his head. "I assume that the lunchbag is for all three of us. So if I chose the cigars, then I would be the only one happy."

Kraken nodded, momentarily aiming the penlight at Sanji's eyes and nearly blinding him. "So, which one do you choose?"

Sanji glared at him. "To choose between my own wants and my nakama's needs, I would pick the second choice so I don't become a piece of shit."

Kraken replied, "Well, that's your choice." He tossed the lunchbag onto the floor. Then he turned around and walked toward the door. As he did, he spoke, "And here's the box of cigars, no lighter included." and tossed the box onto the floor as well.

As he left the room, Sanji kept glaring and spoke under his breath, "No lighter? That's what I thought."

It was silent for a few moments, but in the darkness and silence, Sanji thought back. He couldn't see Kraken's eyes, but by listening, he felt something about the tone of his voice. It was strange, as if he was pleased that he had picked the lunchbag. But why would Kraken be glad about that? Wasn't he trying to torture them? And so the situation had become more puzzling since the time Kraken shouted at them and insulted their dreams the other day. Wait, was it their dreams that he insulted?

"Hm? Is it still night? Why is it dark?"

"Luffy,"

"Hm? Sanji?"

"Luffy, get us out of here. Do whatever it takes. Oh, and breakfast is right over here."

* * *

Usopp ran into the room and to his worktable, with Sore sitting at the desk next to it.

"What took you so long?" asked Sore, "You barely made it in time."

"Sore, I have to talk to you about something," said Usopp. "Do you know who Sooze is?"

"Sooze?" spoke Sore. "Oh, him. Yeah I know him. Areh told me that he used to be a technician until he was moved to the farm, and he works in the kitchen for all three meals, also he has this secret room that he accesses from the kitchen under one of the cabinets where he plays around with this junk that Areh gives him from his lab, and he makes all this stuff out of them, including weapons that could hypothetically be used to lead a slave revolt."

"Yeah!" responded Usopp. "So here's the deal: Sooze has this, um, place, it's a secret, and anyway--"

"Oh, you mean the secret room under one of the kitchen cabinets where he makes all this stuff out of junk that Areh gives him from his lab, including weapons that could hypothetically used to lead a slave revolt?"

"Y-" Usopp's face suddenly switched from an excited look to a "What the fuck?" look. "Does everybody know that?" he asked.

"Why no," replied Sore. "It's just Areh, Kore, me, Sooze - and now, you." His face reflected the shock he felt from just realizing what he did.

Usopp waited silently.

"What were you going to say?" asked Sore.

"First," answered Usopp, "you need to think before you speak or act."

* * *

Well, I hope you liked that. More suspense, right? I hope. So anyway, please review, and if you had waiting for this chapter too stubbornly to read my other fics, you may go read them now: _Things You'll Never Hear/See on One Piece_ and _Once Peace: A Dub Rap Parody_. 


	18. Early Return

**Chapter 18: Early Return**

Man, I never get motivated to do this anymore. I just have to keep pushing. For those of you who really like this story, I'm sorry that I can't update more often, but you may go to my profile page, where I have posted links to a forum-style roleplay I participate in. The plot is somewhat like the one in here. Well actually, the only thing this fanfic has in common with the roleplay is that there's a person whose name is Grim Kraken and the Straw Hat crew gets trapped in his slave camp for a company that serves pirates. But you'll like it anyway.

Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. Eiichiro Oda owns One Piece and 4Kids owns the hospitalized clone. Please review.

* * *

"That's Dendes, _sir_." 

The overseer, who was identified as Leith, sat up. "Of course, Dendes, sir."

Meanwhile, Nami was mystified. _Dendes, that's the guy who appeared at Kraken's office. And the cook at the kitchen said he was Kraken's first mate!_

"Good to see the rookie learn something new today." Dendes replied. Then his scowl left, replaced by a mere stern look, as he continued walking down the road.

Nami looked at Dendes, then at Leith, who was getting back up. "It sounded like Dendes was talking as if you were new to this place." she said.

"So I am," he said as he stomped on his cigarette. "Just joined yesterday".

Then a question came to Nami's mind. "But why did you become an overseer? Did Dendes or Kraken offer you a high salary?"

"Salary?" replied Leith. "Money's no good for anyone working here."

"What?" replied a surprised Nami.

"I mean, you can't spend it here on this island," continued Leith, "and Grim Kraken doesn't let anyone off this island. In fact --"

"If Kraken doesn't pay you, then why do you work here?" interrupted Nami.

Leith shot a stern look at her, not as stern as Dendes's, but stern nonetheless. "That would be none of your business, slave." He kept scowling for a few seconds, then stormed off.

Nami was stunned, but then she realized that she was going to be late for her cartography duty, so she hurried to the navigators' lodge. But in her mind she kept the image of Dendes and Leith. Something seemed strange about seeing them together. And what did Leith mean when he said that Dendes is back early?

* * *

...thump...  
...thump...  
...thump... 

"Dammit, Luffy! What the heck are you doing!" yelled Sanji.  
"I'm trying to get us out of here." Luffy innocently answered.  
"Well, can't you try harder?"

...thump...

"I think I'm doing just fine."

...thump...

"Just fine?"

...thump...

"Yeah."

...thump...

"Luffy, that is not the sound of doing 'just fine'."

...thump...

"Well, you just have to trust me."

"TRUST YOU!" (At the same time, "...thump...")

"Yeah, just trust me."

...thump...

Sanji and Luffy both heard a yawn. "Gosh, why do you have to be so loud, shitty cook?" spoke Zoro.

...thump...

"What--"  
"Luffy's getting us out and he thinks he's doing 'just fine'."

...thump...

"Well, it doesn't sound like it."

...thump...

"See, Luffy?"  
"Okay, I'll try harder."

...thump...  
...thump...  
...thump...

A groan came out.  
"Feeling the pains of drug addiction?"  
"Shut up, seaweed-head."  
"Maybe if we ever get out of here, you should get a sucker instead."  
"Last time I checked, lollipops are bad for your health, and they don't attract ladies."  
"Sure, real funny."

During the whole conversation between Sanji and Zoro, Luffy was rolling back and forth on his side, against the door at the speed of an average toy wind-up car.

* * *

Well, that was pretty short, but the next chapter will be longer, whenever I get to updating this. 


End file.
